The Pope is penalizing a retired American cardinal for his outspoken conservative views on doctrine and politics. It was reported late last month that Pope Francis referred to Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke‚ former head of the Vatican’s highest court‚ as his “enemy” and announced plans to strip him of his salary and his apartment in Rome. In the midst of the subsequent controversy‚ papal biographer Austin Ivereigh confirmed with the pontiff that Burke would in fact be denied his salary‚ but the Pope denied ever calling the cardinal his “enemy.”Far from being critical of the pontiff‚ Burke has been a zealous defender of the papacy. Last week‚ The Pillar confirmed that Burke had been notified by the Apostolic See that he would have to begin paying market rates on his apartment in Rome or else vacate the property by the end of February. According to The Pillar‚ sources close to the cardinal say he is likely to leave the apartment‚ but will not leave Rome. Burke himself stated‚ “It’s my duty as a cardinal to remain in Rome.” (READ MORE from S.A. McCarthy: Jesuit Priest Declares Donald Trump an Antichrist) In his article on the hyper-papalist blog Where Peter Is‚ Ivereigh criticized Burke for adhering to age-old Catholic doctrine‚ treating ancient Catholic customs with reverence‚ and asking the Pope to clarify some of his more controversial statements. The papal biographer wrote: Anyone who has followed the activities‚ speeches‚ and shenanigans of the traditionalist American cardinal this past decade will have been amazed at how Burke has been allowed constantly to undermine the pope’s authority‚ setting himself against the papacy as a counter-magisterium‚ and building a lucrative career portraying himself as the true guardian of the tradition. A proficient canon lawyer‚ Burke has never questioned the authority of the Pope‚ but he and other cardinals have asked the current pontiff for clarity when necessary‚ in the form of dubia‚ formal questions traditionally submitted by members of the college of cardinals asking the Pope to clarify statements relating to morals or doctrine. In 2016‚ Burke and cardinals Carlo Caffarra‚ Walter Brandmüller‚ and Joachim Meisner submitted a series of five dubia to Pope Francis seeking clarity on his apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia. The cardinals primarily sought clarity on the Pope’s statements regarding divorced and remarried couples. The letter’s ambiguity seemingly allowed some to interpret a particular passage as condoning divorce and remarriage without an annulment‚ something the Church has famously long opposed. The subject was one particularly important to Burke‚ who was named the first ever Defender of the Bond of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura by Pope St. John Paul II. The role meant Burke was responsible for analyzing annulment requests and arguing before the Vatican’s highest court in defense of marriage. (READ MORE: The Irreconcilability of Catholicism and Freemasonry) Other questions posed by the cardinals related to Christian living in light of the ambiguous passage in the Pope’s letter. Cardinals Caffarra and Meisner have since passed away‚ and their dubia remain unanswered. Pope Francis removed Burke — as well as the late cardinal George Pell‚ another outspoken conservative — from the Congregation for Divine Worship shortly after the dubia were published‚ prompting many to suspect the move was a retaliatory one. Previously‚ Pope Francis had removed Burke from his position as prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura‚ immediately following Burke’s characterization of the Church as “a ship without a rudder” under the Francis pontificate. However‚ Burke explicitly clarified that he was not speaking against the Pope‚ saying‚ “I have all the respect for the Petrine ministry and I do not want to seem like I am speaking out against the Pope.” Burke signed his name to a second set of dubia submitted earlier this year‚ this time seeking clarity regarding the controversial Synod on Synodality. Burke and Brandmüller were joined by cardinals Juan Sandoval Íñiguez‚ Robert Sarah‚ and Joseph Zen Ze-kiun in expressing concern that the global Synod may dilute the Church’s perennial moral teachings‚ particularly regarding homosexuality‚ and asked the Pope to clarify that such dilutions and ambiguities could not occur. This time around‚ Pope Francis responded‚ clarifying that Catholic doctrine cannot be “reinterpreted” but may be “interpreted better.” He explained that the Synod does not have the authority to contradict or reverse doctrine‚ but may seek new meaning in old texts‚ provided those meanings were in accord with Catholic teaching. (READ MORE: Catholic Priest Sentenced to Life for Sex-Trafficking) The cardinals also asked if the Church could ever bless same-sex unions‚ a topic the Synod was planning to address. The Pope’s direct response was not a definitive “no‚” which led to many claiming the pontiff was approving blessings for same-sex unions. But in the context of his prior clarifications on same-sex blessings and the Church’s immutable doctrine‚ the Pope was actually affirming Church teaching. He wrote: The Church has a very clear understanding of marriage: an exclusive‚ stable‚ and indissoluble union between a man and a woman‚ naturally open to procreation. Only this union can be called “marriage” … It is not just a matter of names‚ but the reality we call marriage has a unique essential constitution that requires an exclusive name‚ not applicable to other realities. It is undoubtedly much more than a mere “ideal.” For this reason‚ the Church avoids any type of rite or sacramental that might contradict this conviction and suggest that something that is not marriage is recognized as marriage. Other questions in the dubia pertained to the nature and authority of the Synod‚ female ordinations to the priesthood‚ and the nature of forgiveness. The Pope’s responses affirmed Catholic doctrine. Far from being critical of the pontiff‚ Burke has been a zealous defender of the papacy and has supported many of Pope Francis’s efforts. In 2014‚ Burke issued a vocal defense of Pope Francis‚ noting that while many saw the new pontiff as a progressive threat to Catholic teaching‚ he was in fact actively combatting the “de-Christianization of the West.” Burke defended the Pope’s pro-life pedigree and insisted that Francis sought to uphold Catholic doctrine while emphasizing a much-needed personal relationship with Christ. Perhaps most tellingly‚ Burke noted that the Pope was sometimes in need of a “fitting tool of interpretation” to clarify his unique style of teaching. Burke and other faithful cardinals have tried to be that “tool of interpretation‚” respectfully seeking clarity and allowing Pope Francis to refine his statements. It is said that a poor craftsman blames his tools‚ and Burke has seemingly been blamed and cast aside. The post Pope To Oust American Cardinal From Rome Residence appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.